Posts Tagged ‘art auctions

When you head to art auctions, you find an array of paintings from artists all over Europe. Knowing about some of the most famous and inspiring paintings from this area of the world is a great way to start learning more about it. There are certain paintings that have inspired generations of artists that you should know about.

The Scream

This is a famous painting that was created by Edvard Munch. It shows a blood red sky and an agonized figure is the focus of the painting. In various media, the artist created a number of different versions of this painting. In 1893, the most popular version was created. Many versions of this work of art were stolen at some point, but thankfully recovered.

This painting was created by Johannes Vermeer, an artist that is rather mysterious and there is not a lot of information about him. Whether this work was commissioned is not known and the year it was done also remains a mystery.

Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli “The Birth of Venus”

This famous piece of art was created between 1485 and 1487 by artist Sandro Botticelli. This painting is of Aphrodite (in Greek mythology) or the goddess Venus. It shows her on a shell emerging from the sea, which is the story that the myth uses to describe her birth.

Water Lilies

Claude Monet “Water Lilies”

This is not a single painting, but a series of about 250 paintings that are all hung in museums throughout the world. The inspiration for this piece was the artist Claude Monet’s personal flower garden. In fact during the last three decades of this life, his garden is where he derived most of his artistic inspiration. This painting is one of the most famous of the Impressionist movement.

Guernica

This famous painting was created by Pablo Picasso. It was created to show the suffering that innocent civilians experience as a result of war. In mid-June of 1937, this painting was completed and it was inspired by the Guernica bombing that occurred during the Spanish Civil War.

Night Watch

Rembrandt “Night Watch”

If you are a fan of the artist Rembrandt van Rijn, you are surely familiar with this painting. It depicts Captain Frans Banning Cocq and his lieutenant leading a city guard that is moving out. Up until the 1940s, this painting had a dark varnish that changed the way it was viewed. In the 1940s, the varnish was removed.

You can see that there are several famous paintings that were created by a variety of artists from Europe. You can look for paintings inspired by these at art auctions to help bolster both your art collection and your knowledge of art.

When it comes to art auctions, one of the first types of art that people gravitate toward is American art, and more specifically, paintings. When you are new to the art world, paintings are a great place to start because there are so many options. They are also the easiest to appreciate and learn more about. Knowing more about some of the best American paintings gives you a place to start in your quest to become more knowledgeable.

Portrait of a German Officer

This is a painting you might not know a lot about if you do not regularly follow art. However, this was created in 1914 by Marsden Hartley. It was painted to pay tribute to a friend of the artist who had died. It features a number of symbols that are associated with Karl von Freyburg, the fallen friend of the artist.

Marsden Hartley “Portrait of a German Officer”

Pantocrator

This painting is quite recent and it was created in 2002. The artist is Vincent Desiderio. The painting depicts three scenes that do not appear to go together at all. In fact, it is divided into three different panels and it is modeled after art that was very popular during the Renaissance time period. One of the panels shows a woman in the shower, the other a tower and the third is of a satellite in space. This is meant to depict the role that science plays in the everyday lives of people.

Allegory

This painting was created by Kara Walker in 1996 and quickly became one of the most popular paintings in American art. It follows the style that the artist is known for and focuses on the themes that she often uses in her work, including sexuality, history, race and religion. What it interesting about her work is that the interpretation is never clear, allowing you to make of it what you see.

Carol

This was created by Patrick Nagel in the 1980s. It looks like a woman you would expect to see walking down a runway during that decade. The woman has bright and smooth skin, is wearing high-fashion clothing and has jet black hair. This reminds people of the style and fashion of the 1980s.

PATRICK NAGEL (American 1945-1984) “Kristen” Serigraph on paper

You can see that there are so many different options when you are looking at some of the most popular paintings in American history. All of these paintings have a story behind them that allows you to better understand the thought process of the artist while they were creating it. Once you have a list of some of your favorite American paintings, you can start to look for them and those that are similar at art auctions.

There are generations of stunning and inspiring Russian art, but you do not have to go back far to find brilliant artists and individual pieces. When you head to art auctions, you can find a lot of relatively modern art from this area of the world. Knowing more about some of the more recent pieces and artists makes it easier to know exactly what you are looking for and allows you to explore different styles.

For most of his life, this artist lived in Russia. He was born in 1842 and died in 1914 after moving to Genoa, Italy. His Crimean landscape art won him numerous awards, and landscapes were his primary focus. Those interested in landscape art are sure to find his work both beautiful and inspiring. Some of his most famous pieces include:

-Harvest

-The Missive

-Winter Sunset

Aleksandr Gerasimov

This artist graced the world from 1881 to 1963, leaving a number of inspiring and iconic pieces in his wake. He focused on Soviet leaders for the most part and visual arts were a common choice. One of his most famous works is of Joseph Stalin, a leader who remains well-known throughout the world for his actions during his leadership. When you are exploring Gerasimov’s work, make sure to check out:

-Feast on a Collective Farm

-Stalin and Voroshilov at the Kremlin

Nicolai Semenovich Samokich

A painting called The Anichkov Bridge is one of the most famous paintings created by this Russian artist. Like most of the artists here, Samokich was most famous for his landscape art, but he also did a lot of work with genre painting.

This Russian artist actually used an American style, with his primary focus being on landscapes and cityscapes. In the wilderness of the Urals, he painted plein-air and was the first artist to do so. His inspiration stemmed from where he lived and his life. He created works based on where he traveled and what he saw. The other men in his family were mostly all artists too. He was born in 1843 and lived until 1886. Some of his most famous works include:

-View of Palace Square, St. Petersburg

-Landscape from Crimea

-View of the River Chusovaya

-View of the River Dnieper

-Tatar Square in Tiflis

-View of Perm

-Street is Tiflis

Now you know more about relatively modern Russian art and the pieces and artists that are shaping and inspiring current generations. You can head to the art auctions with this knowledge so that you can better explore the modern Russian art and determine which pieces and artists fascinate you the most.

When you find something that is one of a kind, it means that there is nothing else like it on the entire planet. This gives it a value that is beyond anything that we are used to in our modern world of reproductions and duplicates. These days nearly everything we buy is being made in a factory that is creating thousands of other units that are exactly the same as the one before it and the one that comes after. This has depreciated the respect and value for unique objects. People have started to consider everything as disposable and it drives a materialistic perspective that does not actually appreciate an object for what it truly is. While a factory-made item may serve a function for a few years, every day that passes, it falls in value and becomes just another regular item. However, when an item is one of a kind, it becomes something else and retains, if not gains, value with every day that passes.

Rarity creates a certain sense of appreciation that can be understood by anyone who values something that is unlike anything else. When something is one of a kind, it stands above everything else and provides the owner with a sense of satisfaction to know that they are in possession of something that special beyond comparison. It is not easy to find something that is one of a kind, which is part of what makes it so special or coveted by others. It is like finding a hidden treasure at art auctions and although it may be passed between people or lost for years at a time, there is only ever one person who will be able to call it their own. Even if there are objects that are similar or serve the same purpose, when something is truly unique, it possesses a special characteristic that cannot be replicated in any way.

ANTON HENNING (German, b.1964) “Portrait of a Matron in a Green Dress,” Mixed media on canvas, Sold for $6,490

Many people will spend years of their lives looking for a true one-of-a-kind item. They will scour art auctions and estate sales to find something that is more than just an item. They want to find something that contains a story or a meaning that is symbolized just by the existence of that unique item. It is not easy to do this, but it is possible. There is more than 7 billion people on this planet, but there can ever only be one of a truly original item. There are many different qualities that can make something unique such as historical value or artistic creation, but this does not change the fact that there is only one. Purchasing something that is one of a kind is the only way to own something that is more than it appears.